What is with all the Trolls? I love my Kobo.

[Psyke]

Originally Posted by KoboNo

Ugh.. I like my Kobo as well. Seems that whenever someone says anything negative about it, thought, you and numerous others have an axe to grind.

*grin* I think the issue he takes is that most of your comments are negative with no real positives, and usually threading on the same issues. I think the "I like my Kobo as well" is the first positive I've seen

Originally Posted by KoboNo

My points are only these:

1. Kobo did not deliver on some features that they said were 'coming soon'. Their customer service folks and the reps that post on these very forums have continuously said it is coming next week, next month, etc. Yet here we are in Decemember and the features have arrived that were promised last summer.

2. Kobo has poor customer service. It takes them weeks to respond to the majority of issues via e-mail.

3. Kobo has buggy software. After almost every desktop application and firmware release there have been issues by users.

1 - I've said it in another post, and I'll say it again; if you base your purchases on potentially upcoming updates, then you're getting what you deserve, but in the same respect, the company who promised the updates and reneged on it, deserves all negativity that comes with it. I learned this lesson many moons ago when the ATI Rage2 3d card said that OpenGL support would be added after the fact, and in fact, never happened. From that time on, I've never purchased an ATI product and have always steered family, friends and clients away from their products. The difference between ATI and Kobo however is that ATI advertised OpenGL on the Box. Kobo never advertised potentially upcoming features as a part of their official advertising campaign, as far as I've seen, and if they had, didn't associate a firm date with it.


2 - Totally agree that their official support line sucks the big one, and I do believe they know this, and are trying to rectify it. I do however appreciate the visibility that the kobo and chapters folks have here, particularly when firmware is released to try and smooth the transition, but they do need to port this over to their main site. Community sites are all and good, but the majority of the customers are expecting high levels of support and communication from homebase.

3 - Totally agree here too, but every piece of software developped has bugs in varrying degrees. Many bugs only show up in certain situations and under certain conditions. If you look through all the forums on this sitethough , every single E-reader has something wrong with it. Does this make it ok? No, but it's a fact of software development. They can't test every single situation/condition because it's almost infinite, but most people don't realize this. This situation gets even more aggravated due to point #2 above. If you don't have a company saying yes, we know there's a problem, we're in the process of fixing it, or aren't notifying customers that there is indeed a fix, and this is what you do, then it's really damaging to the company and their reputation, and unfortunately they deserve it if they don't take measures to fix it.


Like I said, the main issue is not complaining; that's about 80% of what forums are for. It's hearing the same complaints, from the same people, without end is the issue. Trust me, I can almost guarantee that Kobo has seen the issues posted. Chances are because they do have a presence here, they have someone specifically farming issues. Just because they don't address them personally all the time doesn't mean they aren't actively trying to fix a problem. It just may mean they are occupied with something more urgent. But the fact that they are here and are visibile, is pretty promissing, and by no means are they obligated to do anything of the sort.

cheers!
Steph s.

(sorry for any spelling, grammatical errors or long windedness...am working on a clients PC and sometimes gets distracted )

[KoboNo]

Psyke,

1. They did advertise it. Firstly, their Web site and desktop application said 'coming soon'. Secondly, in-store staff repeatedly said it is coming within weeks. Thirdly, their customer support said it was coming in weeks, and then coming sometime in the summer. Lastly, their employees on these forums, on numerous occasions, said it is coming at a certain date.

2. Their visibility here is appreciated, no doubt, however that presence would be much more appreciated helping customers that request it via an official request to their support. Navigating the forums is fine but navigating their lists of questions posted to them would be better. Many stories have come up with customers waiting weeks for replies. I have my very own from the summer and there are many others on these very forums.

This is only being repeated because some users are bringing it up once again and questioning the issues I and some other users are bringing up. For the last time, I do not hate my Kobo device. I only expect better performance from the company that made it. If this gets me a 'douche award' () along the way, so be it, but users that do not see the issues presented here are the brainless ones and the trolls, not I.

[Psyke]

Originally Posted by KoboNo

Psyke,

For the last time, I do not hate my Kobo device. I only expect better performance from the company that made it. If this gets me a 'douche award' () along the way, so be it, but users that do not see the issues presented here are the brainless ones and the trolls, not I.

Well, I wouldn't give you a douche award for complaining; everyone does have the right to do that and to give counter arguments. but I do believe you were awarded that for attacking someone who's been nothing but helpful to people here because you didn't like the way she explained it. For that, the douche award was rightly deserved

[zoran]

Originally Posted by KoboNo

If you are blind to see them, wish to ignore them, or do not expect the return in your investment, then by all means, be blind.

In some occasions I need attitude like this. Where could I enlist myself
for lessons? I need vocabulary and exercise book also.

[sabredog]

Originally Posted by KoboNo

...but users that do not see the issues presented here are the brainless ones and the trolls, not I.

Coming onto a Kobo forum all fired up and negative with the user name "Kobono" leaves a pretty bad impression to other forum members.

You will find that pretty much all of us acknowledge the issues with our Kobo's, but we are far less aggressive or dismissive to others with how we express our concerns.

We also do not made snide and unwarranted remarks about those who give their time trying to make device firmware upgrades more robust and easier to install. Then after that upgrade is released assist on forum those having diificulties during that process.

You trap far more flies with honey than vinegar.

[winsomnia]

I can't honestly say that I love my Kobo, but I can say that I like it a lot. The Kobo is my first ereader, I use it a lot, and I'm satisfied that my $149 was well-spent (considering the options I had at the time). The Kobo does what I bought it to do, an e-ink device strictly to read books on.

I avoided many issues by lurking at MobileRead for months. For instance, I never used the SD card, so I never ran into those related problems. I found out how to strip DRM so that I could change the margins on crappy-formatted epubs. I learned to live with the slow-ish page turns.

The only real issue I had was the forced power-off, which has been rectified to my satisfaction with firm-ware 1.8x. The other issues I had (or still have) have been nit-picks. Other ereaders have their own nit-picks, it's the reality of technology and the huge gap between what the consumer wants and what the tech companies are willing to produce. Very rarely are consumers able to find that "perfect product." However, you can educate yourself with research before you buy, so you know what you're paying for.

Given the choices I have today, I would probably buy the Kobo wi-fi. And not because I want wi-fi (I don't), but only because it's hardware is faster and sharper (screen) than the first generation Kobo. All I want is a reader that uses e-ink, is relatively inexpensive, is comfortable to hold, and will not ask me to jump through hoops to get books because I live in Canada. Oh yes, and it supports ePub file format (which isn't that big a deal after I learned about Calibre).

I have high hopes for Kobo in the future, because IMO, the company started with a great vision, stumbled (and stumbled some more), but has been heading in the right direction. I plan to keep my Kobo for at least another two years because I expect my tech toys to last that long. The only thing that would make me buy a new reader before then (short of my Kobo failing) is if that "perfect product" were to show up. In the future I may not find the one I LOVE, but hopefully my next e-reader, at the very least will be one I like a lot, again.

My overall impression of my (original) Kobo is definitely positive.

[HamsterRage]

Originally Posted by winsomnia

The Kobo is my first ereader, I use it a lot, and I'm satisfied that my $149 was well-spent (considering the options I had at the time). The Kobo does what I bought it to do, an e-ink device strictly to read books on.

That, in a nutshell, says it all.

[HamsterRage]

Originally Posted by KoboNo

...but users that do not see the issues presented here are the brainless ones and the trolls, not I.

And that, in a nutshell, says it all.

[pokee]

Originally Posted by HamsterRage

And that, in a nutshell, says it all.

HamsterRage has it right - the Kobo does what it's designed to do, but it does come with its share of problems. Heck - have a look at the reviews on the Chapters website - it's getting trashed. It seems like you have a 50-50 chance of getting a lemon.

What picks me is when people start comparing the Kobo to the iPad and Nook and other completely unrelated (back-lit LCD) devices. It would be fair to compare the Kobo to the Sony ereaders or Kindles. Those are probably both superior products...but you'll pay a bit more for similar features.

So - why buy a Kobo, then? Well, it's cheap, simple, easy for library books, easy for Canadians to exchange at Chapters if it freezes up/dies. I'd probably have bought a Kindle if I could use library books on it without having to re-format/strip DRM.

I feel for people that need a more powerful ereader, but I would've thought some simple research prior to purchasing should've been enough for those people to stay clear...???

[mamasue]

Originally Posted by pokee

Heck - have a look at the reviews on the Chapters website - it's getting trashed. It seems like you have a 50-50 chance of getting a lemon.

@ pokee ... could you please post a link to the Kobo reviews at Chapters?

I am really interested to read them, but can't find them anywhere on the site. I've looked X2 today without luck ... not in 'Community', etc.

Thank you

[robko]

To find the reviews at Chapters you need to pick a Kobo as if you were going to buy it and scroll down and you will see them in the comments section. There are different comment sections for each colour of the Kobo.

[taming]

I stopped looking at the reviews on Chapters some time ago. At the time, they seemed to fill up with negative reviews for reasons like not being able to find the readers at their local Chapters-Indigo store and because Chapters isn't supporting the reader in the way only Kobo can.

My general impression was that folks left negative reviews there for bizarre reasons. This may have changed, of course, as it has been some time since I read reviews there.

[Suzanna]

A 50% chance of getting a lemon is a little high. We have 4 Kobos in my family (two original, two wifi) and one of my sisters has an original Kobo and we're all happy with our devices - no complaints here!

[mamasue]

Originally Posted by robko

To find the reviews at Chapters you need to pick a Kobo as if you were going to buy it and scroll down and you will see them in the comments section. There are different comment sections for each colour of the Kobo.

thank you

found the reviews ~ nothing there most of us don't already know!

[voracious71]

Originally Posted by pokee

Dude - you need to leave this forum...NOW (WAS THAT RUDE ENOUGH FOR YOU?). You don't even own a Kobo and you're just coming on here to insult people. Buh-bye! (- the thumbs + middle fingers).

I owned a Kobo, and returned it because it did not meet my needs. At that time, I found that the CS sucked. Again, many topics by people who have found the same.

Who the hell are you, the forum police? So sorry that some here are so insecure in themselves that they feel the need to be childish and nasty.

I will post where I like, thank you very much. And I suggest you grow up and maybe work on your reading comprehension skills.